Upskilling: Certificates vs. Certifications

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Fun Fact: Those LinkedIn courses you do are NOT certifications.


It's performance review time, and I had to differentiate between certificates and certifications for the first time. 

As we approached our final pivotal meeting for the fiscal year, I was tasked with presenting the total count of certifications attained by our team throughout the year.

Initially, I presumed this to be a straightforward task. I circulated a Microsoft Form among my colleagues, expecting a simple input of numbers. 

However, upon aggregating the data, I found the resulting figure to be somewhat inflated.

To gain a deeper understanding of this count, I requested my colleagues to provide a list of certifications they had completed.

When I looked closely at the names of these "certifications," I found that about one out of every four was actually a certificate.

This prompted a need for a clearer definition distinguishing between a certificate and a certification.

So, today, I'm going to explain what makes a paper a certification by comparing the two!


Points of Comparison Certificate Certification

 Focus


  Completion of a course or  program  Validation of skills, knowledge, or proficiency

 Scope


  Narrower scope Broader industry scope

  Issuing     Authority

  Educational institutions or training centers  Accredited bodies, professional associations,  regulatory bodies

 Requirements

 Completion of coursework or training  Meeting industry standards, passing exams, prerequisites like education and experience

 Validation


  Acknowledges completion of a program  Validates skills and knowledge in a specific area

 Recognition


  Variable recognition based on institution reputation  Generally widely recognized across industries and regions

 Portability

  May have limited portability  Often has broader portability and recognition

Resources

10 High-Paying IT Certs

Microsoft Learn : Prepare for Your Next Certification

Top 5 Online Certifications : YouTube Video

Top 10 Cybersecurity Certifications


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